Systems and methods for patch antenna driving

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for differential antenna driving are provided. In one aspect, a front end system includes at least one power amplifier configured to receive a first transmit radio frequency signal from a baseband processor, amplify the first transmit radio frequency signal, and output the amplified first transmit radio frequency signal. The front end system further includes at least one balun configured to receive the amplified first transmit radio frequency signal. The at least one balun includes a positive output coupled to a first monopole of at least one antenna and a negative output coupled to a second monopole of the at least one antenna.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

Any and all applications for which a foreign or domestic priority claimis identified in the Application Data Sheet as filed with the presentapplication are hereby incorporated by reference under 37 CFR 1.57.

BACKGROUND Technological Field

Aspects of this disclosure relate to radio frequency (RF) communicationsystems, and in particular, differentially driving RF antennas.

Description of the Related Technology

RF communication systems typically include an RF front end which couplestransmit and receive paths between a baseband processor and one or moreantennas. Such RF front ends may include power amplifier(s), low noiseamplifier(s), and/or filter(s) to process RF signals transmitted to andreceived from the antennas. Typically, the antennas are driven usingsingle-ended RF signals.

SUMMARY OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE ASPECTS

The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have severalinnovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for thedesirable attributes disclosed herein.

In one aspect, there is provided a front end system comprising: firstand second patch antennas; a front end including at least onedifferential power amplifier configured to receive a first transmitradio frequency signal from a baseband processor, amplify the firsttransmit radio frequency signal, and output the amplified first transmitradio frequency signal, the at least one differential power amplifierincluding a positive output configured to couple to the first patchantenna and a negative output configured to couple to the second patchantenna.

The first patch antenna can comprise a first patch input pointconfigured to receive the positive output and the second patch antennaincludes a second patch input point configured to receive the negativeoutput.

The first patch input point and the second patch input point can belocated on opposing sides of the respective first and second patchantennas in a first direction.

The at least one differential power amplifier can include a seconddifferential power amplifier configured to receive a second transmitradio frequency signal from the baseband processor, amplify the secondtransmit radio frequency signal, and output the amplified secondtransmit radio frequency signal, the second power amplifier including apositive output configured to couple to the first patch antenna and anegative output configured to couple to the second patch antenna.

The first patch antenna can include a third patch input point configuredto receive the positive output from the second power amplifier and thesecond patch antenna includes a fourth patch input point configured toreceive the negative output from the second power amplifier.

The third patch input point and the fourth patch input point can belocated on opposing sides of the respective first and second patchantennas in a second direction, the first direction is substantiallyperpendicular to the second direction.

The first and second patch antenna can be configured to have the samepolarization when driven by the positive and negative outputs such thatthe first transmit radio frequency signal when radiated from each of thefirst and second patch antennas constructively interferes.

The front end system can further comprise a first receive module coupledbetween the first patch antenna and a positive receive leg and a secondreceive module coupled between the second patch antenna and a negativereceive leg.

The first receive module can include a circulator coupled to thepositive output of the at least one differential power amplifier and alow noise amplifier coupled between the circulator and the positivereceive leg and configured to amplify a receive radio frequency signalreceived from the first dipole.

The first receive module can further include a bandpass filter coupledbetween the circulator and the first dipole, a dummy load, and atransit/receive switch coupled between the circulator, the dummy load,and the low noise amplifier.

The differential power amplifier can further be configured to drive eachof the first and second patch antennas without using a splitter.

Another aspect is a base station comprising: first and second patchantennas configured to transmit radio frequency signals to a mobiledevice; a baseband processor configured to generate a first transmitradio frequency signal; and a front end system coupling the basebandprocessor to the first and second patch antennas, the front end systemincludes at least one differential power amplifier configured to receivethe first transmit radio frequency signal from the baseband processor,amplify the first transmit radio frequency signal, and output theamplified first transmit radio frequency signal, the at least onedifferential power amplifier including a positive output coupled to thefirst patch antenna and a negative output coupled to the second patchantenna.

The first patch antenna can include a first patch input point configuredto receive the positive output and the second patch antenna includes asecond patch input point configured to receive the negative output.

The first patch input point and the second patch input point can belocated on opposing sides of the respective first and second patchantennas in a first direction.

The at least one differential power amplifier can include a seconddifferential power amplifier configured to receive a second transmitradio frequency signal from the baseband processor, amplify the secondtransmit radio frequency signal, and output the amplified secondtransmit radio frequency signal, the second power amplifier including apositive output configured to couple to the first patch antenna and anegative output configured to couple to the second patch antenna.

The first patch antenna can include a third patch input point configuredto receive the positive output from the second power amplifier and thesecond patch antenna includes a fourth patch input point configured toreceive the negative output from the second power amplifier.

The third patch input point and the fourth patch input point can belocated on opposing sides of the respective first and second patchantennas in a second direction, the first direction is substantiallyperpendicular to the second direction.

The first and second patch antenna can be configured to have the samepolarization when driven by the positive and negative outputs such thatthe first transmit radio frequency signal when radiated from each of thefirst and second patch antennas constructively interferes.

The base station can further comprise a first receive module coupledbetween the first patch antenna and a positive receive leg and a secondreceive module coupled between the second patch antenna and a negativereceive leg.

Still another aspect is a method comprising: receiving, at adifferential power amplifier, a transmit radio frequency signal from abaseband processor; amplifying, by the differential power amplifier, thetransmit radio frequency signal; and outputting the amplified firsttransmit radio frequency signal, the at least one differential poweramplifier including a positive output coupled to a first patch antennaand a negative output coupled to a second patch antenna.

The first patch antenna can include a first patch input point configuredto receive the positive output and the second patch antenna includes asecond patch input point configured to receive the negative output.

Still yet another aspect is a front end system comprising: first andsecond patch antennas; a front end including at least one differentialpower amplifier configured to receive a first transmit radio frequencysignal from a baseband processor, amplify the first transmit radiofrequency signal, and output the amplified first transmit radiofrequency signal, the at least one differential power amplifierincluding a positive output configured to couple to the first patchantenna and a negative output configured to couple to the second patchantenna.

The first patch antenna can comprise a first patch input pointconfigured to receive the positive output and the second patch antennaincludes a second patch input point configured to receive the negativeoutput.

The first patch input point and the second patch input point can belocated on opposing sides of the respective first and second patchantennas in a first direction.

The at least one differential power amplifier can include a seconddifferential power amplifier configured to receive a second transmitradio frequency signal from the baseband processor, amplify the secondtransmit radio frequency signal, and output the amplified secondtransmit radio frequency signal, the second power amplifier including apositive output configured to couple to the first patch antenna and anegative output configured to couple to the second patch antenna.

The first patch antenna can include a third patch input point configuredto receive the positive output from the second power amplifier and thesecond patch antenna includes a fourth patch input point configured toreceive the negative output from the second power amplifier.

The third patch input point and the fourth patch input point can belocated on opposing sides of the respective first and second patchantennas in a second direction, the first direction is substantiallyperpendicular to the second direction.

The first and second patch antenna can be configured to have the samepolarization when driven by the positive and negative outputs such thatthe first transmit radio frequency signal when radiated from each of thefirst and second patch antennas constructively interferes.

The front end system can further comprise a first receive module coupledbetween the first patch antenna and a positive receive leg and a secondreceive module coupled between the second patch antenna and a negativereceive leg.

The first receive module can include a circulator coupled to thepositive output of the at least one differential power amplifier and alow noise amplifier coupled between the circulator and the positivereceive leg and configured to amplify a receive radio frequency signalreceived from the first dipole.

The first receive module can further include a bandpass filter coupledbetween the circulator and the first dipole, a dummy load, and atransit/receive switch coupled between the circulator, the dummy load,and the low noise amplifier.

The differential power amplifier can be further configured to drive eachof the first and second patch antennas without using a splitter.

Another aspect is a base station comprising: first and second patchantennas configured to transmit radio frequency signals to a mobiledevice; a baseband processor configured to generate a first transmitradio frequency signal; and a front end system coupling the basebandprocessor to the first and second patch antennas, the front end systemincludes at least one differential power amplifier configured to receivethe first transmit radio frequency signal from the baseband processor,amplify the first transmit radio frequency signal, and output theamplified first transmit radio frequency signal, the at least onedifferential power amplifier including a positive output coupled to thefirst patch antenna and a negative output coupled to the second patchantenna.

The first patch antenna can include a first patch input point configuredto receive the positive output and the second patch antenna includes asecond patch input point configured to receive the negative output.

The first patch input point and the second patch input point can belocated on opposing sides of the respective first and second patchantennas in a first direction.

The at least one differential power amplifier can include a seconddifferential power amplifier configured to receive a second transmitradio frequency signal from the baseband processor, amplify the secondtransmit radio frequency signal, and output the amplified secondtransmit radio frequency signal, the second power amplifier including apositive output configured to couple to the first patch antenna and anegative output configured to couple to the second patch antenna.

The first patch antenna can include a third patch input point configuredto receive the positive output from the second power amplifier and thesecond patch antenna includes a fourth patch input point configured toreceive the negative output from the second power amplifier.

The third patch input point and the fourth patch input point can belocated on opposing sides of the respective first and second patchantennas in a second direction, the first direction is substantiallyperpendicular to the second direction.

The first and second patch antenna can be configured to have the samepolarization when driven by the positive and negative outputs such thatthe first transmit radio frequency signal when radiated from each of thefirst and second patch antennas constructively interferes.

The base station can further comprise a first receive module coupledbetween the first patch antenna and a positive receive leg and a secondreceive module coupled between the second patch antenna and a negativereceive leg.

Still another aspect is a method comprising: receiving, at adifferential power amplifier, a transmit radio frequency signal from abaseband processor; amplifying, by the differential power amplifier, thetransmit radio frequency signal; and outputting the amplified firsttransmit radio frequency signal, the at least one differential poweramplifier including a positive output coupled to a first patch antennaand a negative output coupled to a second patch antenna.

The first patch antenna can include a first patch input point configuredto receive the positive output and the second patch antenna includes asecond patch input point configured to receive the negative output.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of one example of a communicationnetwork.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of one example of a mobile devicecommunicating via cellular and WiFi networks.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of one example of a downlink channelusing multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) communications.

FIG. 2B is schematic diagram of one example of an uplink channel usingMIMO communications.

FIG. 2C is schematic diagram of another example of an uplink channelusing MIMO communications.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device.

FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram of a mobile device in accordancewith aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an RF front end in accordance withaspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment of an antenna in accordancewith aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an antenna array which can be employedwithin a base station in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 8A illustrates an example sub-array in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure.

FIG. 8B illustrates another example sub-array in accordance with aspectsof this disclosure.

FIG. 9 is an example splitter which can be used in FIGS. 8A and 8B inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates one polarization of an example sub-array inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 11A illustrates one polarization of another example sub-array inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 11B illustrates two polarizations of an example sub-array inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates one polarization of yet another example sub-array inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates one polarization of still yet another examplesub-array in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates one polarization of another example sub-array inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example embodiment of a dipole antenna system inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 16 illustrates one polarization of still yet another examplesub-array in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 17 illustrates one polarization of another example sub-array inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 18A illustrates one polarization of yet another example sub-arrayin accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 18B illustrates two polarizations of an example sub-array inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIGS. 19A-19D illustrate a number of different embodiments for a balunwhich can be used in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 20 illustrates one polarization of still yet another examplesub-array in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example embodiment of a patch antenna system inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIGS. 22A and 22B illustrate example embodiments of a patch antennasystem in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 23 illustrates one polarization of another example sub-array usingpatch antennas in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 24 illustrates two polarizations of an example sub-array inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN INVENTIVE EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of certain embodiments presentsvarious descriptions of specific embodiments. However, the innovationsdescribed herein can be embodied in a multitude of different ways, forexample, as defined and covered by the claims. In this description,reference is made to the drawings where like reference numerals canindicate identical or functionally similar elements. It will beunderstood that elements illustrated in the figures are not necessarilydrawn to scale. Moreover, it will be understood that certain embodimentscan include more elements than illustrated in a drawing and/or a subsetof the elements illustrated in a drawing. Further, some embodiments canincorporate any suitable combination of features from two or moredrawings.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agencyof the United Nations (UN) responsible for global issues concerninginformation and communication technologies, including the shared globaluse of radio spectrum.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration betweengroups of telecommunications standard bodies across the world, such asthe Association of Radio Industries and Businesses (ARIB), theTelecommunications Technology Committee (TTC), the China CommunicationsStandards Association (CCSA), the Alliance for TelecommunicationsIndustry Solutions (ATIS), the Telecommunications Technology Association(TTA), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), andthe Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI).

Working within the scope of the ITU, 3GPP develops and maintainstechnical specifications for a variety of mobile communicationtechnologies, including, for example, second generation (2G) technology(for instance, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) andEnhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)), third generation (3G)technology (for instance, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS) and High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)), and fourth generation (4G)technology (for instance, Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced).

The technical specifications controlled by 3GPP can be expanded andrevised by specification releases, which can span multiple years andspecify a breadth of new features and evolutions.

In one example, 3GPP introduced carrier aggregation (CA) for LTE inRelease 10. Although initially introduced with two downlink carriers,3GPP expanded carrier aggregation in Release 14 to include up to fivedownlink carriers and up to three uplink carriers. Other examples of newfeatures and evolutions provided by 3GPP releases include, but are notlimited to, License Assisted Access (LAA), enhanced LAA (eLAA),Narrowband Internet of things (NB-IOT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), andHigh Power User Equipment (HPUE).

3GPP introduced Phase 1 of fifth generation (5G) technology in Release15, and plans to introduce Phase 2 of 5G technology in Release 16(targeted for 2020). Subsequent 3GPP releases will further evolve andexpand 5G technology. 5G technology is also referred to herein as 5G NewRadio (NR).

5G NR supports or plans to support a variety of features, such ascommunications over millimeter wave spectrum, beamforming capability,high spectral efficiency waveforms, low latency communications, multipleradio numerology, and/or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). Althoughsuch RF functionalities offer flexibility to networks and enhance userdata rates, supporting such features can pose a number of technicalchallenges.

The teachings herein are applicable to a wide variety of communicationsystems, including, but not limited to, communication systems usingadvanced cellular technologies, such as LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro,and/or 5G NR.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of one example of a communication network10. The communication network 10 includes a macro cell base station 1, asmall cell base station 3, and various examples of user equipment (UE),including a first mobile device 2 a, a wireless-connected car 2 b, alaptop 2 c, a stationary wireless device 2 d, a wireless-connected train2 e, a second mobile device 2 f, and a third mobile device 2 g.

Although specific examples of base stations and user equipment areillustrated in FIG. 1A, a communication network can include basestations and user equipment of a wide variety of types and/or numbers.

For instance, in the example shown, the communication network 10includes the macro cell base station 1 and the small cell base station3. The small cell base station 3 can operate with relatively lowerpower, shorter range, and/or with fewer concurrent users relative to themacro cell base station 1. The small cell base station 3 can also bereferred to as a femtocell, a picocell, or a microcell. Although thecommunication network 10 is illustrated as including two base stations,the communication network 10 can be implemented to include more or fewerbase stations and/or base stations of other types.

Although various examples of user equipment are shown, the teachingsherein are applicable to a wide variety of user equipment, including,but not limited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices,wearable electronics, customer premises equipment (CPE),wireless-connected vehicles, wireless relays, and/or a wide variety ofother communication devices. Furthermore, user equipment includes notonly currently available communication devices that operate in acellular network, but also subsequently developed communication devicesthat will be readily implementable with the inventive systems,processes, methods, and devices as described and claimed herein.

The illustrated communication network 10 of FIG. 1A supportscommunications using a variety of cellular technologies, including, forexample, 4G LTE and 5G NR. In certain implementations, the communicationnetwork 10 is further adapted to provide a wireless local area network(WLAN), such as WiFi. Although various examples of communicationtechnologies have been provided, the communication network 10 can beadapted to support a wide variety of communication technologies.

Various communication links of the communication network 10 have beendepicted in FIG. 1A. The communication links can be duplexed in a widevariety of ways, including, for example, using frequency-divisionduplexing (FDD) and/or time-division duplexing (TDD). FDD is a type ofradio frequency communications that uses different frequencies fortransmitting and receiving signals. FDD can provide a number ofadvantages, such as high data rates and low latency. In contrast, TDD isa type of radio frequency communications that uses about the samefrequency for transmitting and receiving signals, and in which transmitand receive communications are switched in time. TDD can provide anumber of advantages, such as efficient use of spectrum and variableallocation of throughput between transmit and receive directions.

In certain implementations, user equipment can communicate with a basestation using one or more of 4G LTE, 5G NR, and WiFi technologies. Incertain implementations, enhanced license assisted access (eLAA) is usedto aggregate one or more licensed frequency carriers (for instance,licensed 4G LTE and/or 5G NR frequencies), with one or more unlicensedcarriers (for instance, unlicensed WiFi frequencies).

As shown in FIG. 1A, the communication links include not onlycommunication links between UE and base stations, but also UE to UEcommunications and base station to base station communications. Forexample, the communication network 10 can be implemented to supportself-fronthaul and/or self-backhaul (for instance, as between mobiledevice 2 g and mobile device 2 f).

The communication links can operate over a wide variety of frequencies.In certain implementations, communications are supported using 5G NRtechnology over one or more frequency bands that are less than 6Gigahertz (GHz) and/or over one or more frequency bands that are greaterthan 6 GHz. For example, the communication links can serve FrequencyRange 1 (FR1), Frequency Range 2 (FR2), or a combination thereof. In oneembodiment, one or more of the mobile devices support a HPUE power classspecification.

In certain implementations, a base station and/or user equipmentcommunicates using beamforming. For example, beamforming can be used tofocus signal strength to overcome path losses, such as high lossassociated with communicating over high signal frequencies. In certainembodiments, user equipment, such as one or more mobile phones,communicate using beamforming on millimeter wave frequency bands in therange of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and/or upper centimeter wave frequencies inthe range of 6 GHz to 30 GHz, or more particularly, 24 GHz to 30 GHz.

Different users of the communication network 10 can share availablenetwork resources, such as available frequency spectrum, in a widevariety of ways.

In one example, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) is used todivide a frequency band into multiple frequency carriers. Additionally,one or more carriers are allocated to a particular user. Examples ofFDMA include, but are not limited to, single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) andorthogonal FDMA (OFDMA). OFDMA is a multicarrier technology thatsubdivides the available bandwidth into multiple mutually orthogonalnarrowband subcarriers, which can be separately assigned to differentusers.

Other examples of shared access include, but are not limited to, timedivision multiple access (TDMA) in which a user is allocated particulartime slots for using a frequency resource, code division multiple access(CDMA) in which a frequency resource is shared amongst different usersby assigning each user a unique code, space-divisional multiple access(SDMA) in which beamforming is used to provide shared access by spatialdivision, and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in which the powerdomain is used for multiple access. For example, NOMA can be used toserve multiple users at the same frequency, time, and/or code, but withdifferent power levels.

Enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) refers to technology for growing systemcapacity of LTE networks. For example, eMBB can refer to communicationswith a peak data rate of at least 10 Gbps and a minimum of 100 Mbps foreach user. Ultra-reliable low latency communications (uRLLC) refers totechnology for communication with very low latency, for instance, lessthan 2 milliseconds. uRLLC can be used for mission-criticalcommunications such as for autonomous driving and/or remote surgeryapplications. Massive machine-type communications (mMTC) refers to lowcost and low data rate communications associated with wirelessconnections to everyday objects, such as those associated with Internetof Things (IoT) applications.

The communication network 10 of FIG. 1A can be used to support a widevariety of advanced communication features, including, but not limitedto, eMBB, uRLLC, and/or mMTC.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of one example of a mobile device 2 acommunicating via cellular and WiFi networks. For example, as shown inFIG. 1B, the mobile device 2 a communicates with a base station 1 of acellular network and with a WiFi access point 3 of a WiFi network. FIG.1B also depicts examples of other user equipment (UE) communicating withthe base station 1, for instance, a wireless-connected car 2 b andanother mobile device 2 c. Furthermore, FIG. 1B also depicts examples ofother WiFi-enabled devices communicating with the WiFi access point 3,for instance, a laptop 4.

Although specific examples of cellular UE and WiFi-enabled devices isshown, a wide variety of types of devices can communicate using cellularand/or WiFi networks. Examples of such devices, include, but are notlimited to, mobile phones, tablets, laptops, Internet of Things (IoT)devices, wearable electronics, customer premises equipment (CPE),wireless-connected vehicles, wireless relays, and/or a wide variety ofother communication devices.

In certain implementations, UE, such as the mobile device 2 a of FIG.1B, is implemented to support communications using a number oftechnologies, including, but not limited to, 2G, 3G, 4G (including LTE,LTE-Advanced, and LTE-Advanced Pro), 5G NR, WLAN (for instance, WiFi),WPAN (for instance, Bluetooth and ZigBee), WMAN (for instance, WiMax),and/or GPS. In certain implementations, enhanced license assisted access(eLAA) is used to aggregate one or more licensed frequency carriers (forinstance, licensed 4G LTE and/or 5G NR frequencies), with one or moreunlicensed carriers (for instance, unlicensed WiFi frequencies).

Furthermore, certain UE can communicate not only with base stations andaccess points, but also with other UE. For example, thewireless-connected car 2 b can communicate with a wireless-connectedpedestrian 2 d, a wireless-connected stop light 2 e, and/or anotherwireless-connected car 2 f using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and/orvehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications.

Although various examples of communication technologies have beendescribed, mobile devices can be implemented to support a wide range ofcommunications.

Various communication links have been depicted in FIG. 1B. Thecommunication links can be duplexed in a wide variety of ways,including, for example, using frequency-division duplexing (FDD) and/ortime-division duplexing (TDD). FDD is a type of radio frequencycommunications that uses different frequencies for transmitting andreceiving signals. FDD can provide a number of advantages, such as highdata rates and low latency. In contrast, TDD is a type of radiofrequency communications that uses about the same frequency fortransmitting and receiving signals, and in which transmit and receivecommunications are switched in time. TDD can provide a number ofadvantages, such as efficient use of spectrum and variable allocation ofthroughput between transmit and receive directions.

Different users of the illustrated communication networks can shareavailable network resources, such as available frequency spectrum, in awide variety of ways. In one example, frequency division multiple access(FDMA) is used to divide a frequency band into multiple frequencycarriers. Additionally, one or more carriers are allocated to aparticular user. Examples of FDMA include, but are not limited to,single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) and orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA). OFDM is amulticarrier technology that subdivides the available bandwidth intomultiple mutually orthogonal narrowband subcarriers, which can beseparately assigned to different users.

Other examples of shared access include, but are not limited to, timedivision multiple access (TDMA) in which a user is allocated particulartime slots for using a frequency resource, code division multiple access(CDMA) in which a frequency resource is shared amongst different usersby assigning each user a unique code, space-divisional multiple access(SDMA) in which beamforming is used to provide shared access by spatialdivision, and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) in which the powerdomain is used for multiple access. For example, NOMA can be used toserve multiple users at the same frequency, time, and/or code, but withdifferent power levels.

Certain RF communication systems include multiple transceivers forcommunicating using different wireless networks, over multiple frequencybands, and/or using different communication standards. Althoughimplementing an RF communication system in this manner can expandfunctionality, increase bandwidth, and/or enhance flexibility, a numberof coexistence issues can arise between the transceivers operatingwithin the RF communication system.

For example, an RF communication system can include a cellulartransceiver for processing RF signals communicated over a cellularnetwork and a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver forprocessing RF signals communicated over a WLAN network, such as a WiFinetwork. For instance, the mobile device 2 a of FIG. 1B is operable tocommunicate using cellular and WiFi networks.

Although implementing the RF communication system in this manner canprovide a number of benefits, a mutual desensitization effect can arisefrom cellular transmissions interfering with reception of WiFi signalsand/or from WiFi transmissions interfering with reception of cellularsignals.

In one example, cellular Band 7 can give rise to mutual desensitizationwith respect to 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz) WiFi. For instance, Band 7 has anFDD duplex and operates over a frequency range of about 2.62 GHz to 2.69GHz for downlink and over a frequency range of about 2.50 GHz to about2.57 GHz for uplink, while 2.4 GHz WiFi has TDD duplex and operates overa frequency range of about 2.40 GHz to about 2.50 GHz. Thus, cellularBand 7 and 2.4 GHz WiFi are adjacent in frequency, and RF signal leakagedue to the high power transmitter of one transceiver/front end affectsreceiver performance of the other transceiver/front end, particularly atborder frequency channels.

In another example, cellular Band 40 and 2.4 GHz WiFi can give rise tomutual desensitization. For example, Band 40 has a TDD duplex andoperates over a frequency range of about 2.30 GHz to about 2.40 GHz,while 2.4 GHz WiFi has TDD duplex and operates over a frequency range ofabout 2.40 GHz to about 2.50 GHz. Accordingly, cellular Band 40 and 2.4GHz WiFi are adjacent in frequency and give rise to a number ofcoexistence issues, particularly at border frequency channels.

Desensitization can arise not only from direct leakage of an aggressortransmit signal to a victim receiver, but also from spectral regrowthcomponents generated in the transmitter. Such interference can lierelatively closely in frequency with the victim receive signal and/ordirectly overlap it.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of one example of a downlink channelusing multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) communications. FIG. 2B isschematic diagram of one example of an uplink channel using MIMOcommunications.

MIMO communications use multiple antennas for simultaneouslycommunicating multiple data streams over common frequency spectrum. Incertain implementations, the data streams operate with differentreference signals to enhance data reception at the receiver. MIMOcommunications benefit from higher SNR, improved coding, and/or reducedsignal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences of the radioenvironment.

MIMO order refers to a number of separate data streams sent or received.For instance, MIMO order for downlink communications can be described bya number of transmit antennas of a base station and a number of receiveantennas for UE, such as a mobile device. For example, two-by-two (2×2)DL MIMO refers to MIMO downlink communications using two base stationantennas and two UE antennas. Additionally, four-by-four (4×4) DL MIMOrefers to MIMO downlink communications using four base station antennasand four UE antennas.

In the example shown in FIG. 2A, downlink MIMO communications areprovided by transmitting using M antennas 43 a, 43 b, 43 c, . . . 43 mof the base station 41 and receiving using N antennas 44 a, 44 b, 44 c,. . . 44 n of the mobile device 42. Accordingly, FIG. 2A illustrates anexample of m×n DL MIMO.

Likewise, MIMO order for uplink communications can be described by anumber of transmit antennas of UE, such as a mobile device, and a numberof receive antennas of a base station. For example, 2×2 UL MIMO refersto MIMO uplink communications using two UE antennas and two base stationantennas. Additionally, 4×4 UL MIMO refers to MIMO uplink communicationsusing four UE antennas and four base station antennas.

In the example shown in FIG. 2B, uplink MIMO communications are providedby transmitting using N antennas 44 a, 44 b, 44 c, . . . 44 n of themobile device 42 and receiving using M antennas 43 a, 43 b, 43 c, . . .43 m of the base station 41. Accordingly, FIG. 2B illustrates an exampleof n×m UL MIMO.

By increasing the level or order of MIMO, bandwidth of an uplink channeland/or a downlink channel can be increased.

MIMO communications are applicable to communication links of a varietyof types, such as FDD communication links and TDD communication links.

FIG. 2C is schematic diagram of another example of an uplink channelusing MIMO communications. In the example shown in FIG. 2C, uplink MIMOcommunications are provided by transmitting using N antennas 44 a, 44 b,44 c, . . . 44 n of the mobile device 42. Additional a first portion ofthe uplink transmissions are received using M antennas 43 a 1, 43 b 1,43 c 1, . . . 43 m 1 of a first base station 41 a, while a secondportion of the uplink transmissions are received using M antennas 43 a2, 43 b 2, 43 c 2, . . . 43 m 2 of a second base station 41 b.Additionally, the first base station 41 a and the second base station 41b communication with one another over wired, optical, and/or wirelesslinks.

The MIMO scenario of FIG. 2C illustrates an example in which multiplebase stations cooperate to facilitate MIMO communications.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a mobile device 800.The mobile device 800 includes a baseband system 801, a transceiver 802,a front end system 803, antennas 804, a power management system 805, amemory 806, a user interface 807, and a battery 808.

The mobile device 800 can be used communicate using a wide variety ofcommunications technologies, including, but not limited to, 2G, 3G, 4G(including LTE, LTE-Advanced, and LTE-Advanced Pro), 5G NR, WLAN (forinstance, WiFi), WPAN (for instance, Bluetooth and ZigBee), WMAN (forinstance, WiMax), and/or GPS technologies.

The transceiver 802 generates RF signals for transmission and processesincoming RF signals received from the antennas 804. It will beunderstood that various functionalities associated with the transmissionand receiving of RF signals can be achieved by one or more componentsthat are collectively represented in FIG. 3 as the transceiver 802. Inone example, separate components (for instance, separate circuits ordies) can be provided for handling certain types of RF signals.

The front end system 803 aids in conditioning signals transmitted toand/or received from the antennas 804. In the illustrated embodiment,the front end system 803 includes antenna tuning circuitry 810, poweramplifiers (PAs) 811, low noise amplifiers (LNAs) 812, filters 813,switches 814, and signal splitting/combining circuitry 815. However,other implementations are possible.

For example, the front end system 803 can provide a number offunctionalities, including, but not limited to, amplifying signals fortransmission, amplifying received signals, filtering signals, switchingbetween different bands, switching between different power modes,switching between transmission and receiving modes, duplexing ofsignals, multiplexing of signals (for instance, diplexing ortriplexing), or some combination thereof.

In certain implementations, the mobile device 800 supports carrieraggregation, thereby providing flexibility to increase peak data rates.Carrier aggregation can be used for both Frequency Division Duplexing(FDD) and Time Division Duplexing (TDD), and may be used to aggregate aplurality of carriers or channels. Carrier aggregation includescontiguous aggregation, in which contiguous carriers within the sameoperating frequency band are aggregated. Carrier aggregation can also benon-contiguous, and can include carriers separated in frequency within acommon band or in different bands.

The antennas 804 can include antennas used for a wide variety of typesof communications. For example, the antennas 804 can include antennasfor transmitting and/or receiving signals associated with a wide varietyof frequencies and communications standards.

In certain implementations, the antennas 804 support MIMO communicationsand/or switched diversity communications. For example, MIMOcommunications use multiple antennas for communicating multiple datastreams over a single radio frequency channel. MIMO communicationsbenefit from higher signal to noise ratio, improved coding, and/orreduced signal interference due to spatial multiplexing differences ofthe radio environment. Switched diversity refers to communications inwhich a particular antenna is selected for operation at a particulartime. For example, a switch can be used to select a particular antennafrom a group of antennas based on a variety of factors, such as anobserved bit error rate and/or a signal strength indicator.

The mobile device 800 can operate with beamforming in certainimplementations. For example, the front end system 803 can includeamplifiers having controllable gain and phase shifters havingcontrollable phase to provide beam formation and directivity fortransmission and/or reception of signals using the antennas 804. Forexample, in the context of signal transmission, the amplitude and phasesof the transmit signals provided to the antennas 804 are controlled suchthat radiated signals from the antennas 804 combine using constructiveand destructive interference to generate an aggregate transmit signalexhibiting beam-like qualities with more signal strength propagating ina given direction. In the context of signal reception, the amplitude andphases are controlled such that more signal energy is received when thesignal is arriving to the antennas 804 from a particular direction. Incertain implementations, the antennas 804 include one or more arrays ofantenna elements to enhance beamforming.

The baseband system 801 is coupled to the user interface 807 tofacilitate processing of various user input and output (I/O), such asvoice and data. The baseband system 801 provides the transceiver 802with digital representations of transmit signals, which the transceiver802 processes to generate RF signals for transmission. The basebandsystem 801 also processes digital representations of received signalsprovided by the transceiver 802. As shown in FIG. 3, the baseband system801 is coupled to the memory 806 of facilitate operation of the mobiledevice 800.

The memory 806 can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such asstoring data and/or instructions to facilitate the operation of themobile device 800 and/or to provide storage of user information.

The power management system 805 provides a number of power managementfunctions of the mobile device 800. In certain implementations, thepower management system 805 includes a PA supply control circuit thatcontrols the supply voltages of the power amplifiers 811. For example,the power management system 805 can be configured to change the supplyvoltage(s) provided to one or more of the power amplifiers 811 toimprove efficiency, such as power added efficiency (PAE).

As shown in FIG. 3, the power management system 805 receives a batteryvoltage from the battery 808. The battery 808 can be any suitablebattery for use in the mobile device 800, including, for example, alithium-ion battery.

Overview of Single-Ended Antenna Systems

FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram of a base station 1510 inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure. In particular, the basestation 1510 includes a baseband processing unit 1502, a transceiver/RFfront end unit 1503, and a plurality of antennas 1501 a, 1501 b, . . . ,1501 n. Certain elements/blocks not illustrated in FIG. 4 may also beincluded in other embodiments.

In a typical base station 1510, the baseband processing unit 1502 maygenerate and receive RF signals in the form of a differential signal.However, the antennas 1501 a-1501 n may be configured to transmit andreceive RF signals in the form of a single-ended signal. Thus, the RFfront end unit 1503 may be configured to transform differential RFsignals communicated to/from the baseband processing unit 1502 intosignal-ended RF signals communicated to/from the antennas 1501 a-1501 n,and vice versa.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an RF front end 803 in accordance withaspects of this disclosure. With reference to FIG. 5, the RF front end803 is connected to a transmit terminal TX, a receive terminal RX, andan antenna 108. The Rf front end 803 includes a power amplifier (PA)102, a circulator 104, a bandpass filter 106, a transmit/receive switch110, a dummy load 112, and a low noise amplifier (LNA) 114. Theillustrated single-ended RF front end 803 architecture may be usedprimarily for time-division duplex (TDD). One advantage to using acirculator 104 as shown in FIG. 5 is that the circulator helps providesa consistent input impedance (e.g., 50Ω) to each of the power amplifier102, the low noise amplifier 114, and the bandpass filter 106.

The circulator 104 is configured to directionally connect one of thepower amplifier 102 and the low noise amplifier 114 to the band passfilter 106, and thus the antenna 108. In certain embodiments, thecirculator 104 may have an isolation of around 20-30 dB, which resultsin a certain amount of leakage of an RF transmit signal from the poweramplifier 102 through the circulator 104 to the low noise amplifier 114.Because of the high power typically used in a base station, the amountof leakage current through the circulator 104 may be sufficient to burnout or otherwise damage the low noise amplifier 114. Thus, whentransmitting, the transmit/receive switch 110 is configured to connectthe dummy load 112 to the circulator 104 instead of the low noiseamplifier 114 thereby preventing at least a portion of the leakagecurrent from flowing to the low noise amplifier 114.

In certain implementations, a transmit/receive switch can be used inplace of the circulator 104. However, aspects of this disclosure will bedescribed in connect with the circulator 104 implementation forsimplicity.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example embodiment of an antenna 108 in accordancewith aspects of this disclosure. The antenna 108 includes a dipole 202which is located above a motherboard 200 (also referred to simply as aboard) and is connected via a pair of coaxial cabling 204 or othersuitable transmission line. The board 200 may form a reference plane(e.g., a ground plane). The dipole 202 is driven on one side via a poweramplifier 102 (e.g., via the front end 803 shown in FIG. 5) and isgrounded through the other end of the dipole 202. The use of the coaxialcabling 204 allows the dipole 202 to be positioned a predetermineddistance from the board 200, which provides the reference plane for thedipole 202. The primary radiation direction of the antenna 108 is in theZ-direction. The use of the dipole 202 provides a balanced/differentialantenna. In addition, the radiation of the dipole 202 may be polarized,which can enable two dipoles to be positioned in an overlapping manner,as shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of an antenna array 300 which can beemployed within a base station in accordance with aspects of thisdisclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the antenna array 300includes 64 dipole pairs, with one sub-array 302 including two dipolepairs shown in particular. For example, one pair of the dipoles withinthe sub-array 302 may have a first polarization (e.g., a +45°polarization) and the second pair of the dipoles within the sub-array302 may have a second polarization (e.g., a −45° polarization). In orderto isolate RF communication between the two pairs of dipoles within thesub-array 302, the pairs of dipoles may be positioned perpendicular (ororthogonal) to each other. Within the sub-array 302, independent signalscan be transmitted on the two polarizations without significantinterference. For example, one signal can be transmitted on the firstpolarization and a second signal can be transmitted on the secondpolarization. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the antenna array300 includes 32 sub-arrays 302, which can enable 64 different signals tobe transmitted.

In the FIG. 7 implementation, the dipole pairs are grouped intosub-arrays 302 having a 2×1 dimension (e.g., 2 vertical×1 horizontal).However, depending on the implementation, the dipole pairs can begrouped in sub-arrays of any dimension.

Overview of Differential Signaling Antenna Systems

In 5G massive MIMO base stations, there is typically an array ofcross-polarized dipole antennas, which may be implemented via theantenna array of FIG. 7. FIG. 8A illustrates an example sub-array 302 inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure. With reference to FIG. 8A,the sub-array 302 includes an RF front end 803, a first pair of dipoles306 and 308, and a second pair of dipoles 316 and 318. The RF front end803 includes a first power amplifier 303, a first power splitter 304, asecond power amplifier 312, and a second power splitter 314.

As shown in FIG. 8A, two adjacent antennas 306 and 308 or 316 and 318 ofthe same polarization may be ganged together via a corresponding one ofthe first and second power splitters 304 and 314 to provide more antennagain compared to a single dipole antenna. In order to drive two adjacentantennas (e.g., the first pair of dipoles 306 and 308) to with increasedgain, it is desirable to drive the antennas with the same signal (e.g.,with the same amplitude and phase) with low-loss.

Many modern base stations utilize RF transceivers that provideall-differential ports, that is, the RF signals communicated within thebase station are differential signals. However, on both the receive andtransmit paths, these differential RF signals are converted tosingle-ended RF signals for compatibility with the single-end drivingstructure used for the dipole antennas. By converting the differentialRF signals to single-ended RF signals may result in losing some of thebenefits of differential circuits such as low 2^(nd)-order distortionand good immunity to external interference compared with single-ended RFsignals.

Returning to the FIG. 8A embodiment, the first pair of dipoles 306 and308 can be driven using the single first power amplifier 303, with theoutput of the first power amplifier 303 split using the first powersplitter 304. The second pair of dipoles 316 and 318 may be driven in asimilar manner. However, the use of the power splitter 304 following thefirst power amplifier 303 may result in undesired loss.

FIG. 8B illustrates another example sub-array 302 in accordance withaspects of this disclosure. With reference to FIG. 8A, the sub-array 302includes an RF front end 803, a first pair of dipoles 306 and 308, and asecond pair of dipoles 316 and 318. The RF front end 803 includes afirst power splitter 304, a first pair of power amplifiers 303A and303B, a second power splitter 314, and a second pair of power amplifiers312A and 312B. In contrast to the implementation of FIG. 8A, an RFsignal is split by the first power amplifier 304 before being providedto the first pair of power amplifiers 303A and 303B. Thus, theimplementation of FIG. 8B includes a greater number of power amplifiers303A, 303B, 312A, and 312B, which may be smaller than the poweramplifiers 303 and 312 of FIG. 8A. However, the FIG. 8B implementationmay be more costly to implement and have a larger footprint than theFIG. 8A implementation. It may also be difficult and/or costly toimplement the pairs of amplifiers 303A and 303B; 312A and 312B such thatthe pair of RF signals produced thereby are matched in phase and/oramplitude.

In each of the embodiments of FIGS. 8A and 8B, it is desirable that theradio frequency signal reach the two dipole antennas of the samepolarity (e.g., the first pair of dipoles 306 and 308) withsubstantially equal amplitude and phase such that the radio frequencysignals constructively interfere without any substantially destructiveinterference. In the FIG. 8A implementation, since both radio frequencysignal provided to the first pair dipoles 306 and 308 are amplified bythe same power amplifier 303, these radio frequency signals should havesubstantially equal amplitude and phase. However, the splitter 304introduces loss into these radio frequency signals.

In contrast, in the FIG. 8B implementation, the radio frequency signalsoutput by the first pair of power amplifiers 303A and 303B may have lessloss than the FIG. 8A implementation, however, it may be difficult toensure that the radio frequency signals output by the first pair ofpower amplifiers 303A and 303B have substantially the same amplitude andphase. Constructing two separate power amplifiers 303A and 303B that aresufficiently matched to provide radio frequency signals of substantiallythe same amplitude and phase can be costly. In addition, even if thefirst pair of power amplifiers 303A and 303B are matched under certainconditions, they may have different responses to other environmentalfactors such as temperature. Moreover, since the first pair of poweramplifiers 303A and 303B are necessarily located in different positions,they may experience different temperatures, leading to increasedvariation between their respective output radio frequency signals.

FIG. 9 is an example splitter 304 which can be used in FIGS. 8A and 8Bin accordance with aspects of this disclosure. For example, the splitter304 can be implemented as a two-way Wilkinson splitter/combiner. Inparticular, the splitter 304 includes a first impedance element 322, asecond impedance element 324, and a resistor 326 connecting the firstand second impedance elements 322 and 324. The splitter 304 may provide−3 dB power distribution to each of the two output ports and has aninsertion loss of about 0.5 dB, which can vary based on frequency. Whenpositioned following a power amplifier, such as in the implementation ofFIG. 8A, the insertion loss introduced by the splitter 304 isundesirable as it represents about 10% power loss. In addition, thesplitter 304 may be relatively bulky when implemented for relatively lowfrequencies. For example, for a Wilkinson type splitter, the linelengths are λ/4 and thus of length inversely proportional to centerfrequency of the design.

FIG. 10 illustrates one polarization of an example sub-array 302 inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure. In particular, FIG. 10 maybe substantially similar to the first polarization illustrated in FIG.8A. With reference to FIG. 10, the sub-array 302 includes a pair ofdipoles 306 and 308 and an RF front end 803 including a power amplifier303 and a power splitter 304.

As described above, the FIG. 10 implementation drives the pair ofdipoles 306 and 308 using a single-end RF signal amplified by the poweramplifier 303. Depending on the implementation, the splitter 304 mayintroduce about 0.5 dB loss into the RF signal. However, due to theabove-described drawbacks to the use of splitter(s) 304 and the abilityof modern base stations to process differential RF signals, aspects ofthis disclosure relate to RF front end and antenna designs which do notrely on splitter(s) 304 for driving the pair of dipoles 306 and 308.

There are a number advantages to the removal of splitter(s) from the RFfront end design. On the receive side, individual single-ended LNAs canbe placed closer to each dipole antenna (e.g., on opposite polarities ofeach dipole), and can be combined into the input of a downstreamdifferential receive chain. On the receive side, the RF receive signalcan be maintained in differential form to the differential transceiverinput. Moreover, the noise figure (NF) may be improved be removingsplitter(s) from the RF front end design.

On the transmit side, the removal of splitter(s) can reduce or eliminateloss that would otherwise be introduced by the splitter(s). In addition,the differential PA can take the differential signal from the output ofa differential transmit chain that brings the transmit signal from adifferential transceiver output, thus preserving all the benefits of thedifferential signal described herein.

FIG. 11A illustrates one polarization of another example sub-array 302in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. In particular, FIG. 11Aillustrates an implementation in which a differential RF signal is usedto drive a pair of dipole antennas using the same polarization withoutthe use of a splitter. With reference to FIG. 11A, the sub-array 302includes a pair of dipoles 306 and 308 and an RF front end including adifferential power amplifier 332. The differential power amplifier 332receives a differential RF signal and outputs an amplified differentialRF signal, rather than two independent single-ended RF signals.

The positive end of the differential RF signal output from thedifferential power amplifier 332 is output to a first one of the dipoles306 and the negative end of the differential RF signal output from thedifferential power amplifier 332 is output to a second one of thedipoles 306. Additionally, the positive and negative outputs from thedifferential power amplifier 332 are provided to different monopoles ofthe first and second dipoles 306 and 308 such that the RF signalsradiated from the first and second dipoles 306 and 308 constructivelyinterfere. This is illustrated in FIG. 11A by the positive output of thedifferential power amplifier being connected to the positive monopole ofthe first dipole 306 and the negative output of the differential poweramplifier being connected to the negative monopole of the second dipole308. The negative monopole of the first dipole 306 and the positivemonopole of the second dipole 308 are each connected to ground throughan appropriate length of transmission line.

By driving the first and second dipoles 306 and 308 using the positiveand negative legs of the differential power amplifier 332 output, thesub-array 302 of FIG. 11 is able to drive to single-ended antennaswithout requiring a splitter component. It is desirable that thedifferential power amplifier 332 provide identical power at 180° phaseseparation to the positive and negative legs. By using a differentialpower amplifier 332 rather than two independent single-ended poweramplifiers, it is more cost effective to provide identical power at a180° phase offset. That is, it can be costly to implement twoindependent single-ended power amplifiers that are matched to the samedegree as a single differential power amplifier 332. Compared to usingtwo independent single-ended power amplifier, the use of thedifferential power amplifier 332 can ensure good signal balance betweenthe positive and negative legs.

FIG. 11B illustrates two polarizations of an example sub-array 302 inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure. In particular, FIG. 11Billustrates a first polarization which is substantially the same as thepolarization of FIG. 11A and further includes a second polarization inwhich a second differential RF signal is used to drive a second pair ofdipole antennas 316 and 218 without the use of a splitter. Withreference to FIG. 11B, the first polarization of the sub-array 302includes a first differential power amplifier 332 and a first pair ofdipoles 306 and 308 similar to FIG. 11A. The second polarization of thesub-array 302 includes a second differential power amplifier 334 and asecond pair of dipoles 316 and 318 which may be offset 90° from thefirst pair of dipoles 306 and 308. The second polarization may functionsubstantially similarly to the first polarization described inconnection with FIG. 11A. The first and second differential poweramplifiers 332 and 334 may form a part of an RF front end 803.

FIG. 12 illustrates one polarization of yet another example sub-array302 in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. In particular, FIG.12 illustrates both the transmit and receive paths coupled to a pair ofdipoles 306 and 308 via an RF front end 803. The RF front end 803includes a differential power amplifier 332, a differential circulator402, a differential bandpass filter 404, first and secondtransmit/receive switches 406 and 408, a dummy load 410, and adifferential low noise amplifier 412. At least one or more of thedifferential power amplifier 332, the differential circulator 402, thedifferential bandpass filter 404, the first and second transmit/receiveswitches 406 and 408, the dummy load 410, and the differential low noiseamplifier 412 may be included as a part of an RF front end (e.g., the RFfront end unit 1503 of FIG. 4). In the illustrated example, the firstand second dipoles 306 and 308 can be connected to a fully differentialtransmit chain and drive a fully differential receive chain.

The positive end of the first dipole 306 is connected to the positiveend of the differential power amplifier 332 and the positive end of thedifferential low noise amplifier 412 via the differential circulator 402and the differential bandpass filter 404. Similarly, the negative end ofthe second dipole 308 is connected to the negative end of thedifferential power amplifier 332 and the negative end of thedifferential low noise amplifier 412 via the differential circulator 402and the differential bandpass filter 404. Accordingly, the positive andnegative outputs from the differential power amplifier 332 and thepositive and negative inputs to the differential low noise amplifier 412are connected to different monopoles of the first and second dipoles 306and 308 such that the RF signals radiated and received from the firstand second dipoles 306 and 308 constructively interfere.

The illustrated differential sub-array 302 architecture may be usedprimarily for time-division duplex (TDD). As in the single-endedimplementation of FIG. 5, the differential circulator 402 helps providesa consistent input impedance (e.g., 50Ω or 100Ω) to each of thedifferential power amplifier 332, the differential low noise amplifier412, and the differential bandpass filter 404. The differentialcirculator 402 is configured to directionally connect the differentialpower amplifier 332 and the differential low noise amplifier 412 to thedifferential band pass filter 404, and thus the first and second dipoleantennas 306 and 308.

In certain embodiments, the differential circulator 402 may have anisolation of around 20-30 dB, which results in a certain amount ofleakage of an RF transmit signal from the differential power amplifier332 through the differential circulator 402 to the differential lownoise amplifier 412. Because of the high power typically used in a basestation, the amount of leakage current through the differentialcirculator 402 may be sufficient to burn out or otherwise damage thedifferential low noise amplifier 412. Thus, when transmitting, the firstand second transmit/receive switches 406 and 408 are configured toconnect the positive and negative legs of the differential circulator402 on the receive path to the dummy load 410 thereby preventing atleast a portion of the leakage current from flowing to the differentiallow noise amplifier 412.

The implementation of FIG. 12 improved loss by about 0.5 dB compared tosimilar implementations using a splitter (e.g., the implementation ofFIG. 8A). However, the sub-array 302 of FIG. 12 may include relativelylong traces between the differential bandpass filter 404 and each of thedipole antennas 306 and 308. In order to ensure that the RF signalsapplied to each of the dipole antennas are matched to provideconstructive interference, the trace lengths between the differentialbandpass filter 404 and each of the dipole antennas 306 and 308 shouldalso be matched. That is, any differences between these trace lengthsmay result in mismatch between the RF signals provided to the dipoleantennas 306 and 308 in amplitude and/or phase, which can reduce theconstructive interference of the RF signal. In addition, differentialcirculators 402 are difficult to design and produce, with limitedcommercial availability. The differential low noise amplifier 412further has relatively high requirements for return loss, and thus, itmay be costly to implement a differential low noise amplifier 412 thatmeets these requirements.

FIG. 13 illustrates one polarization of still yet another examplesub-array 302 in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Theimplementation of FIG. 13 may be substantially similar to theimplementation of FIG. 12 with the differential circulator 402 beingreplaced by a pair of single-ended circulators 414 and 416. The firstand second dipoles 306 and 308 can thus be connected to a fullydifferential transmit chain and drive a fully differential receivechain. By using a pair of single-ended circulators 414 and 416, theimplementation of the sub-array 302 of FIG. 13 may be more practical andmore cost effective when compared to the sub-array 302 of FIG. 12. FIG.13 may share the other advantages and design challenges of the FIG. 12implementation described above.

FIG. 14 illustrates one polarization of another example sub-array 302 inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure. In particular, FIG. 14illustrates both the transmit and receive paths coupled to first andsecond dipoles 306 and 308 via an RF front end 803. The RF front end 803includes a differential power amplifier 332 and first and second receivemodules 418 and 430 respectively connected to the first and seconddipoles 306 and 308. The first receive module 418 includes a firstcirculator 420, a first bandpass filter 422, a first transmit/receiveswitch 424, a first dummy load 426, and a first low noise amplifier 418.Similarly, the second receive module 430 includes a second circulator432, a second bandpass filter 434, a second transmit/receive switch 436,a second dummy load 438, and a second low noise amplifier 440. Usingthis configuration, the receive path for each of the first and seconddipoles 306 and 308 can be implemented using single ended components,while still providing a fully differential receive chain.

The first and second receive modules 418 and 430 may be placed close tothe respective first and second dipoles 306 and 308 to reduce the tracelengths from the first and second dipoles 306 and 308 to the first andsecond low noise amplifiers 428 and 440. Reducing the trace lengthsusing the first and second receive module 418 and 430 can improve the NFof the sub-array 302 compared to implementations with long trace lengths(e.g., as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13). In addition, since it can bedifficult to manufacture differential low noise amplifiers that meetreturn loss requirements for high performance base stations, using twosingle-ended low noise amplifiers 428 and 440 in the first and secondreceive modules 418 and 430 may be more practical than embodiments whichinclude a differential low noise amplifier. For example, single-endedlow noise amplifiers 428 and 440 may typically have better return lossthan comparable differential low noise amplifiers. The costs associatedwith manufacturing the FIG. 14 implementation may not be significantlydifferent from a single-ended architecture (e.g., as illustrated in FIG.8A), while providing the benefits of fully differential transmit andreceive signal chains through the RF front end. This implementationfurther includes all of the benefits associated with removing the use ofa splitter, including reducing losses in the RF signals.

Example Embodiments Including a Balun Used to Drive Antenna Dipoles

With reference back to FIG. 6, aspects of this disclosure relate todriving a dipole antenna 202 by providing a single-ended RF signal toone dipole of the antenna 202 while the other dipole of the antenna 202is grounded. However, there may be certain drawbacks to driving a singleend of a dipole antenna 202. For example, the radiation pattern of asingle ended driven dipole antenna 202 may not be as symmetricalcompared to a differentially driven dipole antenna 202.

In other aspects of this disclosure, a more symmetrical radiationpattern can be provided by driving both ends of a dipole antenna. FIG.15 illustrates an example embodiment of a dipole antenna system 500 inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure. The dipole antenna system500 includes a balun 502, an input 504, a pair of coaxial cabling 505 orother suitable transmission line, and a dipole antenna 508. In contrastto FIG. 6 where a single monopole of the dipole antenna 202 is driven,in FIG. 15 the input 504 receives a single ended drive signal (e.g., anRF signal) and provides the drive signal to the balun 502. The balun 502connects the input 504 to both monopoles of the dipole antenna 508 andprovides a positive version of the drive signal and a negative versionof the drive signal to the dipole antenna 508 (e.g., the dipole antenna508 is driven using a differential drive signal).

By driving the dipole antenna 508 with a differential signal, thesymmetry of the radiation pattern can be improved compared to drivingonly a single monopole of a similar dipole antenna (e.g., antenna 202 ofFIG. 6) with a single-ended signal. In addition, by receiving asingle-ended input 504, the dipole antenna system 500 can also haveimproved loss (e.g., reduced loss) compared to embodiments that use asplitter (e.g., power splitter 304 of FIG. 9) to drive a pair of dipoleantennas. In addition, the use of a balun 502 to produce a differentialdrive signal can reduce the number of components used in the RF frontend compared to other implementations, thereby providing savings forboth cost and space.

FIG. 16 illustrates one polarization of still yet another examplesub-array in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. In particular,FIG. 16 illustrates an implementation in which a differential RF signalis used to drive a pair of dipole antennas 508 and 510 using the samepolarization using a splitter 506.

The example sub-array 500 of FIG. 16 includes a pair of baluns 502A and502B, a single-ended power amplifier 504, the splitter 506, a firstdipole antenna 508, and a second dipole antenna 510. The power amplifier504 is configured to receive and amplify an RF signal and provide theamplified RF signal to the splitter 506. The splitter 506 is configuredto split the RF signal and provide the RF signal to each of the baluns502A and 502B. The splitter 506 is further configured to split the RFsignal such that the two RF signals are substantially in phase (e.g.,such that the split RF signals are substantially in phase with eachother as indicated by the “0 deg” reference labels in FIG. 16).

Each of the baluns 502A and 502B is configured to receive a respectiveone of the split RF signals and generate a differential signal. Forexample, a first one of the baluns 502A is configured to generate afirst RF signal and a second RF signal which are 180° out of phase witheach other (as indicated by the “0 deg” and “180 deg” reference labels).The second one of the baluns 502B functions similarly to the first balun502B and provides two RF signals which are 180 out of phase with eachother to the second antenna 510.

As shown in FIG. 16, the first and second antennas 508 and 510 may bephysically spaced apart at a distance that is half a wavelength of theRF signal. In addition, the first and second antennas 508 and 510 may bearranged at the same angle to form a first polarization of an antennasub-array (e.g., see FIG. 7). By driving the first monopoles 508A and510A with the same first RF signal (e.g., at “0 deg”) and the secondmonopoles 508B and 510B with the same second RF signal (e.g., at “180deg”) the RF signals will constructively interfere to improve the signalstrength of the radiated RF signal. Further, as described above, bydriving each of the antennas 508 and 510 with differential RF signals,the radiation pattern may be more symmetrical compared to drivingsimilar dipole antennas with a single-ended RF signal applied to one ofthe monopoles of each of the antennas 508 and 510.

FIG. 17 illustrates one polarization of another example sub-array inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure. Many components of FIG. 17may be substantially similar to those of FIG. 16.

The example sub-array 520 of FIG. 17 includes a pair of baluns 502A and502B, a single-ended power amplifier 504, a splitter 506, a first dipoleantenna 508, and a second dipole antenna 510. The splitter 506 isconfigured to split the RF signal received from the power amplifier 504and provide the RF signal to each of the baluns 502A and 502B. Incontrast to FIG. 16, the splitter 506 of FIG. 17 may be furtherconfigured to split the RF signal such that the two RF signals aresubstantially 180° out of phase (as indicated by the “0 deg” and “180deg” reference labels in FIG. 17).

In order to provide a substantially similar radiation pattern to FIG.16, the second balun 502B in FIG. 17 is flipped compared to the secondbalun 502B of FIG. 16 as illustrated by the dots provided on the baluns502A and 502B in each of FIGS. 16 and 17. Accordingly, the RF signalsapplied to the antennas 508 and 510 in FIG. 17 may be substantially thesame as in FIG. 16, and thus, the radiation pattern of FIG. 17 may haveat least some of the same advantages as discussed in connection with theFIG. 16 embodiment.

FIG. 18A illustrates one polarization of yet another example sub-arrayin accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Many components of FIG.18A may be substantially similar to those of FIG. 16.

The example sub-array 530 of FIG. 18A includes a pair of baluns 502A and502B, a differential power amplifier 534, a first dipole antenna 508,and a second dipole antenna 510. Because the differential poweramplifier 534 provides a differential output RF signal, the FIG. 18Aembodiment does not require a splitter 506. The differential RF outputsignal from the power amplifier 534 is provided to the baluns 502A and502B.

Similar to FIG. 17, the second balun 502B in FIG. 18A is flippedcompared to the second balun 502B of FIG. 16 as illustrated by the dotsprovided on the baluns 502A and 502B. Accordingly, the RF signalsapplied to the antennas 508 and 510 in FIG. 18A may be substantially thesame as in FIG. 16, and thus, the radiation pattern of FIG. 18A may haveat least some of the same advantages as discussed in connection with theFIG. 16 embodiment. In addition, by removing the splitter 506, thesub-array 530 of FIG. 18A can reduce or eliminate loss that wouldotherwise be introduced by the splitter 506.

FIG. 18B illustrates two polarizations of an example sub-array 530 inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure. In particular, FIG. 18Billustrates a first polarization which is substantially the same as thepolarization of FIG. 18A and further includes a second polarization inwhich a second differential RF signal is used to drive a second pair ofdipole antennas 512 and 514 without the use of a splitter. Withreference to FIG. 18B, the first polarization of the sub-array 530includes a first differential power amplifier 534A and a first pair ofdipoles 508 and 510 similar to FIG. 18A. The first pair of dipoles 508and 510 are coupled to the first differential power amplifier 534A viatwo baluns 502A and 502B. The second polarization of the sub-array 530includes a second differential power amplifier 534B and a second pair ofdipoles 512 and 514 which may be offset 90° from the first pair ofdipoles 508 and 510. The second pair of dipoles 512 and 514 are coupledto the second differential power amplifier 534A via two baluns 503A and503B. The second polarization may function substantially similarly tothe first polarization described in connection with FIG. 18A. The firstand second differential power amplifiers 534A and 534B may form a partof an RF front end 803.

FIGS. 19A-19D illustrate a number of different embodiments for a balun502 which can be used in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Forexample, in FIGS. 16-18 the baluns 502 are illustrated as transformers,however, FIGS. 19A-19D provide other example implementations for thebaluns 502. Each of the baluns 600-606 of FIGS. 19A-19D may beconfigured to receive an unbalance (e.g., single ended) input signal andoutput a balanced (e.g., differential) output signal.

In particular, FIG. 19A illustrates an implementation of a transmissionline balun 600. FIG. 19B illustrates an implementation of a filter balun602. FIG. 19C illustrates an implementation of a transformer balun 604.FIG. 19D illustrates an implementation of a microstrip balun 606.

FIG. 20 illustrates one polarization of still yet another examplesub-array 540 in accordance with aspects of this disclosure. Inparticular, FIG. 20 illustrates both the transmit and receive pathscoupled to a pair of dipole antennas 508 and 510 via an RF front end803. The RF front end 803 includes a differential power amplifier 332, adifferential circulator 402, first and second transmit/receive switches406 and 408, a dummy load 410, and a differential low noise amplifier412. At least one or more of the differential power amplifier 332, thedifferential circulator 402, the first and second transmit/receiveswitches 406 and 408, the dummy load 410, and the differential low noiseamplifier 412 may be included as a part of an RF front end (e.g., the RFfront end unit 1503 of FIG. 4). In the illustrated example, the firstand second dipole antennas 508 and 510 can be connected to a fullydifferential transmit chain and drive a fully differential receivechain.

The first dipole antenna 508 is connected to a first filter balun 502Aand the second dipole antenna 510 is connected to a second filter balun502B. The first and second filter baluns 502A and 502B may beimplemented, for example, as a filter balun 602 as shown in FIG. 19B.Similar to FIGS. 17 and 18, the second filter balun 502B may be flippedcompared to the first filter balun 502A such that the polarity of the RFsignals provided to the first and second antennas 508 and 510 arealigned, and thus, the RF signals will constructively interfere.

The first filter balun 502A is connected to the positive end of thedifferential power amplifier 332 and the positive end of thedifferential low noise amplifier 412 via the differential circulator402. Similarly, the second filter balun 502B is connected to thenegative end of the differential power amplifier 332 and the negativeend of the differential low noise amplifier 412 via the differentialcirculator 402. Each of the first and second filter baluns 502A and 502Bcan further be configured to function as a bandpass filter, therebyeliminating the need for a separate bandpass filter in the front end 803(e.g., see the bandpass filter 404 of FIG. 12). This can furthersimplify the structure of the RF front end 803 and reduce costs and sizeof the device.

Example Embodiments Including Patch Antennas

While aspects of this disclosure have been described in connection withthe use of dipole antennas, aspects of this disclosure can also beapplied to the use of patch antennas. FIG. 21 illustrates an exampleembodiment of a patch antenna system 600 in accordance with aspects ofthis disclosure. The patch antenna system 600 includes a patch antenna602, an input 604, a coaxial cabling 606 or other suitable transmissionline, and a patch input point 608 at which the coaxial cable isconnected to the patch antenna 602. In the illustrated embodiment, thepatch input point 608 may be located at substantially the midpoint ofthe patch antenna 602 along a first axis of the patch antenna 602 andoffset from the midpoint along a second axis of the patch antenna 602.

The location of the patch input point 608 can affect the behavior of thepatch antenna 602 in response to the RF signal applied to the patchantenna 602 as described below in connection with FIG. 22A and 22B.Typically, a patch antenna 602 is driven with a single input as shown inFIGS. 21 and 22A. FIGS. 22A and 22B illustrate example embodiments of apatch antenna system in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.

With reference to FIG. 22A, by locating the patch input point 608 offsetfrom the midpoint along the second axis, the patch antenna 602 mayrespond to the input signal with a first RF response 612 having acurrent and a voltage response along the second axis. Because the patchinput 608 is located at substantially the midpoint of the patch antenna602 along the first axis, the patch antenna may not have any significantRF response along the first axis when driven by an RF signal applied tothe patch input point 608. Thus, by locating the path input point 608 asshown in FIG. 22A, the patch antenna 602 may behave in a manneranalogous to a dipole antenna driven on one end (e.g., driven by an RFsignal applied to one monopole of the dipole antenna).

FIG. 22B illustrates a patch antenna 602 having a first patch inputpoint 608 and a second patch input point 610. The first patch inputpoint 608 is located in substantially the same location as the patchinput point 608 of FIG. 22A. The second patch input point 610 is locatedat substantially the midpoint of the patch antenna 602 along the secondaxis of the patch antenna 602 and offset from the midpoint along thefirst axis of the patch antenna 602. Accordingly, an RF signal appliedto the second patch input point 610 will generate a second RF response614 in the patch antenna 602 that is substantially orthogonal to thefirst RF response 612. Using the first and second patch input points 608and 610, the patch antenna 602 can be driven with two independentpolarities that have minimal effect on each other due to physicalorthogonality of the first and second patch input points 608 and 610.

Each of the first and second patch input points 608 and 610 can be usedto drive the patch antenna 602 be with a different signal, and thus canbe used for MIMO. By driving the patch antenna 602 in this manner, thepatch antenna 602 can be used as a replacement for a cross-polarizedpair of dipole antennas.

FIG. 23 illustrates one polarization of another example sub-array 620using patch antennas 602 in accordance with aspects of this disclosure.In particular, FIG. 23 illustrates an implementation in which adifferential power amplifier 604 generates a differential RF signal usedto drive a pair of patch antennas 602A and 602B. With reference to FIG.23, the sub-array 620 includes the differential power amplifier 604 andthe patch antennas 602A and 602B. The differential power amplifier 332receives a differential RF signal and outputs an amplified differentialRF signal. As illustrated in FIG. 23, the amplified differential RFsignal includes a first RF signal labeled “0 deg” and a second RF signallabeled “180 deg” that is offset from the first RF signal by 180°.

The first and second RF signals are applied to the first and secondpatch antennas 602A and 602B at opposing points on the patch antennas602A and 602B. Due to the locations of the path input points on opposingsides of the patch antennas 602A and 602B, the offset first and secondRF signals constructively interfere. This is functionally similar to howthe RF signals of dipole antennas that receive signals at their opposingmonopoles (e.g., see FIG. 11A) constructively interfere.

FIG. 24 illustrates two polarizations of an example sub-array 630 inaccordance with aspects of this disclosure. In particular, FIG. 24illustrates a first polarization which is substantially the same as thepolarization of FIG. 23 and further includes a second polarization inwhich a second differential RF signal is used to drive the first andsecond patch antennas 602A and 602B with the polarization that issubstantially orthogonal to the first polarization. The sub-array 630includes a first differential amplifier 604A, a second differentialamplifier 604B configured to generate the second differential RF signal,and the first and second patch antennas 602A and 602B.

FIG. 24 also illustrates the locations of a plurality of patch inputpoints 1+, 1−, 2+, and 2− for the first and second patch antennas 602Aand 602B. The first and second patch input points 1+ and 1− are locatedin substantially the same positions as the patch input pointsillustrated in FIG. 23. The third and fourth patch input points 2+ and2− are located in substantially orthogonal positions compared to thefirst and second patch input points 1+ and 1− such that the seconddifferential RF signal does not interfere with the first RF differentialsignal.

Because the patch antennas 602A and 602B may be functionally similar todipole antennas when driven with differential signals and withorthogonal patch input points, for example as illustrated in FIG. 24,the patch antennas 602A and 602B may be used in place of the dipoleantennas in any other embodiment disclosed herein.

Conclusion

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled”, as generally usedherein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directlyconnected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements.Likewise, the word “connected”, as generally used herein, refers to twoor more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected byway of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words“herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used inthis application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not toany particular portions of this application. Where the context permits,words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or pluralnumber may also include the plural or singular number respectively. Theword “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word coversall of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items inthe list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the itemsin the list.

Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others,“can,” “could,” “might,” “can,” “e.g.,” “for example,” “such as” and thelike, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or withoutauthor input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/orstates are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, whileprocesses or blocks are presented in a given order, alternativeembodiments may perform routines having steps, or employ systems havingblocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks may bedeleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each ofthese processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of differentways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as beingperformed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performedin parallel, or may be performed at different times.

The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements andacts of the various embodiments described above can be combined toprovide further embodiments.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the methods and systems described herein may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A front end system comprising: first and secondpatch antennas; and a front end including at least one differentialpower amplifier configured to receive a first transmit radio frequencysignal from a baseband processor, amplify the first transmit radiofrequency signal, and output the amplified first transmit radiofrequency signal, the at least one differential power amplifierincluding a positive output configured to couple to the first patchantenna and a negative output configured to couple to the second patchantenna.
 2. The front end system of claim 1 wherein the first patchantenna comprises a first patch input point configured to receive thepositive output and the second patch antenna includes a second patchinput point configured to receive the negative output.
 3. The front endsystem of claim 2 wherein the first patch input point and the secondpatch input point are located on opposing sides of the respective firstand second patch antennas in a first direction.
 4. The front end systemof claim 2 wherein the at least one differential power amplifierincludes a second differential power amplifier configured to receive asecond transmit radio frequency signal from the baseband processor,amplify the second transmit radio frequency signal, and output theamplified second transmit radio frequency signal, the second poweramplifier including a positive output configured to couple to the firstpatch antenna and a negative output configured to couple to the secondpatch antenna.
 5. The front end system of claim 4 wherein the firstpatch antenna includes a third patch input point configured to receivethe positive output from the second power amplifier and the second patchantenna includes a fourth patch input point configured to receive thenegative output from the second power amplifier.
 6. The front end systemof claim 5 wherein the third patch input point and the fourth patchinput point are located on opposing sides of the respective first andsecond patch antennas in a second direction, the first direction issubstantially perpendicular to the second direction.
 7. The front endsystem of claim 1 wherein the first and second patch antenna areconfigured to have the same polarization when driven by the positive andnegative outputs such that the first transmit radio frequency signalwhen radiated from each of the first and second patch antennasconstructively interferes.
 8. The front end system of claim 1 furthercomprising a first receive module coupled between the first patchantenna and a positive receive leg and a second receive module coupledbetween the second patch antenna and a negative receive leg.
 9. Thefront end system of claim 8 wherein the first receive module includes acirculator coupled to the positive output of the at least onedifferential power amplifier and a low noise amplifier coupled betweenthe circulator and the positive receive leg and configured to amplify areceive radio frequency signal received from the first dipole.
 10. Thefront end system of claim 9 wherein the first receive module furtherincludes a bandpass filter coupled between the circulator and the firstdipole, a dummy load, and a transit/receive switch coupled between thecirculator, the dummy load, and the low noise amplifier.
 11. The frontend system of claim 1 wherein the differential power amplifier isfurther configured to drive each of the first and second patch antennaswithout using a splitter.
 12. A base station comprising: first andsecond patch antennas configured to transmit radio frequency signals toa mobile device; a baseband processor configured to generate a firsttransmit radio frequency signal; and a front end system coupling thebaseband processor to the first and second patch antennas, the front endsystem includes at least one differential power amplifier configured toreceive the first transmit radio frequency signal from the basebandprocessor, amplify the first transmit radio frequency signal, and outputthe amplified first transmit radio frequency signal, the at least onedifferential power amplifier including a positive output coupled to thefirst patch antenna and a negative output coupled to the second patchantenna.
 13. The base station of claim 12 wherein the first patchantenna includes a first patch input point configured to receive thepositive output and the second patch antenna includes a second patchinput point configured to receive the negative output.
 14. The basestation of claim 13 wherein the first patch input point and the secondpatch input point are located on opposing sides of the respective firstand second patch antennas in a first direction.
 15. The base station ofclaim 13 wherein the at least one differential power amplifier includesa second differential power amplifier configured to receive a secondtransmit radio frequency signal from the baseband processor, amplify thesecond transmit radio frequency signal, and output the amplified secondtransmit radio frequency signal, the second power amplifier including apositive output configured to couple to the first patch antenna and anegative output configured to couple to the second patch antenna. 16.The base station of claim 15 wherein the first patch antenna includes athird patch input point configured to receive the positive output fromthe second power amplifier and the second patch antenna includes afourth patch input point configured to receive the negative output fromthe second power amplifier.
 17. The base station of claim 16 wherein thethird patch input point and the fourth patch input point are located onopposing sides of the respective first and second patch antennas in asecond direction, the first direction is substantially perpendicular tothe second direction.
 18. The base station of claim 12 wherein the firstand second patch antenna are configured to have the same polarizationwhen driven by the positive and negative outputs such that the firsttransmit radio frequency signal when radiated from each of the first andsecond patch antennas constructively interferes.
 19. The base station ofclaim 12 further comprising a first receive module coupled between thefirst patch antenna and a positive receive leg and a second receivemodule coupled between the second patch antenna and a negative receiveleg.
 20. A method comprising: receiving, at a differential poweramplifier, a transmit radio frequency signal from a baseband processor;amplifying, by the differential power amplifier, the transmit radiofrequency signal; and outputting the amplified first transmit radiofrequency signal, the at least one differential power amplifierincluding a positive output coupled to a first patch antenna and anegative output coupled to a second patch antenna.
 21. The method ofclaim 20 wherein the first patch antenna includes a first patch inputpoint configured to receive the positive output and the second patchantenna includes a second patch input point configured to receive thenegative output.